Browse Topic: Drilling
This device belongs to the field of aviation materials technology and discloses a high-efficiency drilling equipment for manufacturing aviation materials, which includes a bottom plate. The top of the bottom plate is provided with a clamping structure and a positioning structure. The clamping structure includes a second moving plate, a third sliding groove, a second bi-directional screw, a fourth screw block, a clamping plate, and a rubber block. This device can hold materials through a clamping structure and effectively and quickly locate and drill holes through a positioning structure. By rotating the first threaded rod, it can drive the first screw block to move the U-shaped column. During the movement of the U-shaped column, it will drive the second threaded rod to move together. By rotating the second threaded rod, it will drive the second screw block to adjust the height of the connecting plate for drilling holes. By rotating the third threaded rod, it will drive the first moving plate to move, which will facilitate the multi-directional movement of the drill bit, improve the efficiency of drilling, avoid multiple position changes, and be beneficial for practical applications and operations.
The Electroimpact Automatic Fan Cowl Riveter uses two novel drill processes to control exit burr height and achieve the required hole quality in CRES (Corrosion-Resistant Steel, also called stainless steel) material stacks. Both processes use piloted cutters on the OML (Outer Mold Line, referring to the exterior surface of an airframe) side, and two different tools are used in a backside spindle on the IML (Inner Mold Line, referring to the inside surface of an airframe) side of the component. The first process uses a shallow-angle shave tool in the IML spindle to directly control the exit burr height after it is produced by the OML spindle and is called the “burr shave” technique. The second process uses a countersink tool in the IML spindle and produces an “intermediate countersink” after the pilot hole is drilled by the OML spindle, but before the final hole diameter is drilled. These drill processes were able to achieve the required hole quality in a challenging CRES material stack, which allows the machine to be qualified for one-up assembly of the component.
The aspiration of this exploration is to evolve an optimization technique for the Electrochemical Drilling process on Haste alloy material, considering various performance factors. The Taguchi approach, along with Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), forms the basis for optimization. Haste alloy has a wider range of uses in industries such as aerospace, nuclear, and marine, especially in harsh environments. The experimental trials conducted in accordance with Taguchi's approach have utilized three machining variables: feed rate, electrolyte flow rate, and electrolyte concentration. When doing this examination, we analyze not only the rate at which material is removed and the roughness of the surface, but also other characteristics that indicate performance, such as overcut, shape, and orientation tolerance. The analytical findings indicate that the feed rate is the primary factor that directly impacts the required performance standards. Regression models are constructed to make predictions, and performance measures are established to assess their effectiveness. The test results unequivocally showed that the new procedure is markedly superior to the prior one.
The objective of this research is to develop an optimization strategy for the Electrochemical Drilling process on Nimonic alloy material, taking into account various performance factors. The optimization strategy relies on the integration of the Taguchi method with Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). Nimonic is extensively utilized in aerospace, nuclear, and marine industries, specifically in situations that are prone to corrosion. The experimental trials are structured based on Taguchi's principle and encompass three machining variables: feed rate, electrolyte flow rate, and electrolyte concentration. This inquiry examines performance indicators like the rate of material removal, surface roughness, as well as geometric parameters such as overcut, shape, and orientation tolerance. Based on the investigation, it is determined that the feed rate is the primary factor that directly affects the intended performance criteria. In order to enhance the accuracy of predictions, multiple regression models are created and performance metrics are constructed. A validation test was performed to corroborate the findings acquired using the GRA approach. The test results demonstrate that the proposed strategy is markedly superior to earlier approaches.
In numerous industries such as aerospace and energy, components must perform under significant extreme environments. This imposes stringent requirements on the accuracy with which these components are manufactured and assembled. One such example is the positional tolerance of drilled holes for close clearance applications, as seen in the “EN3201:2008 Aerospace Series – Holes for metric fasteners” standard. In such applications, the drilled holes must be accurate to within ±0.1 mm. Traditionally, this required the use of Computerised Numerical Control (CNC) systems to achieve such tight tolerances. However, with the increasing popularity of robotic arms in machining applications, as well as their relatively lower cost compared to CNC systems, it becomes necessary to assess the ability of robotic arms to achieve such tolerances. This review paper discusses the sources of errors in robotic arm drilling and reviews the current techniques for improving its accuracy. The main sources of errors in robotic arm drilling are related to the robot arm positioning, the drilling processes, and the dimensional accuracy/quality of the workpiece being drilled. This paper focuses on two of these aspects: the robotic arm positioning and the drilling error. Hardware correction systems using vision, encoder and/or a combination of lasers are considered alongside software-based methods such as machine learning. This can implicitly improve the accuracy of robotic arms without any additional hardware. In addition, spatial interpolation techniques such as Kriging are also discussed in the context of gathering calibration data over a grid of points. From this paper, the reader will gain an understanding of the state-of-the-art, future trends and the potential work required to use robotic arms for drilling high-accuracy holes in aerospace applications.
The Electroimpact Automatic Fan Cowl Riveter exhibits new and unique design features and automated process capabilities that address and overcome three primary technical challenges. The first challenge is satisfying the customer-driven requirement to access the entire fastening area of the fan cowl doors. This necessitates a unique machine design which is capable of fitting ‘inside’ a fan cowl door radius. The second challenge is determining drill geometry and drill process parameters which can produce consistent and high-quality countersunk holes in varying mixed-metal stack-up combinations consisting of aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel. The third challenge is providing the capability of fully automatic wet installation of hollow-ended titanium rivets. This requires an IML-side countersinking operation, depositing sealant throughout the OML and IML countersinks and the hole, automatically feeding and inserting a rivet which is only 5mm long and 6mm in head diameter and flaring the rivet tail to a ‘sub-flush’ condition.
Traditional solutions developed for the aerospace industry must overcome challenges posed for automation systems like design, requalification, large manual content, restricted access, and tight tolerances. At the same time, automated systems should avoid the use of dedicated equipment so they can be shared between jigs; moved between floor levels and access either side of the workpiece. This article describes the development of a robotic system for drilling and inspection for small aerostructure manufacturing specifically designed to tackle these requirements. The system comprises three work packages: connection within the digital thread (from concept through to operational metrics including Statistical Process Control), innovative lightweight / low energy drill, and auto tool-change with in-process metrology. The validation tests demonstrating Technology Readiness Level 6 are presented and results are shown and discussed.
As the aerospace industry moves toward determinate assembly and ever-tighter manufacturing tolerances, there is a need for automated, high-precision milling, trimming and drilling equipment that is specialized for aerospace applications. Precision countersinking is a common requirement for aircraft parts, but this is not a process that typical general-purpose milling machines are able to accommodate without the use of specialty tools such as depth-stop tool holders. To meet this need, Electroimpact has designed a 5-axis milling machine with high-speed clamping capability for countersink depth control. A custom trunnion and head with a quill and an additional clamp axis provide clamping functionality similar in speed and precision to a riveting machine, while maintaining the accuracy and features of a conventional machining center. An additional focus on design for pre-compensation accuracy has allowed the system to achieve post-compensation path and positioning tolerances that are competitive with premium milling machines. This combination of capabilities makes the system well suited for a variety of cutting and drilling processes for aircraft manufacture. This paper will describe the background and design process that led to the development of this system, and will provide details on its capabilities, specifications, and possible applications.
Efforts toward the mechanization of aircraft manufacturing began as a divided focus between devices like power tools that augment human worker capability and purpose-designed, “monument” automation. While both have benefits and limitations, the capability of modern industrial robots has grown to the point of being able to effectively fill the capability gap between them, offering a third option in the mechanization toolbox. Moreover, increasing computer processing power continues to enable more advanced approaches to perception to inform task planning and execution. Higher performance robots supplemented with greater ability to adapt to various conditions and scenarios have also led to the ability to operate reliably and safely outside traditional fixed-installation, caged work cells. This in turn has made it feasible for robot systems to work in ever more complex environments and applications, including the world of aircraft assembly with its numerous challenges like workpiece scale, precision issues due to compounding tolerance stack-ups, and confined and often crowded spaces – including the potential for interaction with human workers. Mobile industrial robot systems are becoming more common throughout the aerospace industry and the most popular use case is still drilling and fastening. Spirit AeroSystems has been at the forefront of this trend since the early 2000’s in terms of system architecture and configuration, technology testing and maturation, and deployment into production use cases. In conjunction with a number of supplier partners, Spirit has nearly 20 years’ worth of history and lessons learned regarding drilling and fastening processes performed by mobile industrial robotic systems including several new systems across multiple programs and aerostructure configurations.
Using the Box Behnken experimental design, this research work gives a thorough mathematical model for predicting the effects of drilling parameters on the delamination factor during the drilling of CFRP/Al stacked composites. These composites are commonly utilized in aerospace applications and are frequently subjected to drilling for assembling purpose. The goal of this study is to predict the drilling parameters like drill type, drill diameter, feed rate and spindle speedthat affect the amount of delamination which occurs when drilling such composites. During the drilling operation, damage was noticed on the surface of the fabricated composite laminates. The experiments were conducted according to the Box Behnken experimental design and delamination response is measured by using an image processing software. It is concluded that among all the parameters, the feed rate influences more on the delamination factor.
In significant industrial segments across the globe, there continues to be major investment in large-scale equipment that incorporates heavy-duty material movement and handling systems. In mining applications such as bucket wheel excavators and conveyors, to metal shredders in recycling operations, as well as winch systems and drilling equipment in offshore applications, powerful low-speed drives that can deliver high torque and reliably function in rugged demanding environments are in high demand.
The usage of AZ91E series magnesium alloy material increases in the field of automobile, aerospace and structural applications because of its enhanced mechanical properties, light weight and good machinability characteristics. The present investigation is to optimize the drilling process parameters of magnesium alloy (AZ91E) hybrid nano composite consisting of chopped basalt fiber (9wt%) and SiCp (7.5wt%) fabricated by vacuum stirring technique. AZ91E hybrid nano composite is drilled by M-Tab vertical machining centre equipped with CNC under dry state (without coolant). The dry state drilling operation was performed by HSS tool with varied input parameters like drill diameter (6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm), spindle speed (200rpm, 300rpm 400rpm 500rpm), feed rate (5mm/min, 10mm/min, 15 mm/min, 20 mm/min) with constant depth of cut (15mm). The effect of machining time, metal removal rate and surface roughness is evaluated and optimum level of drilling parameters is determined through Taguchi technique. The stress concentration and temperature distribution path of AZ91E hybrid nano composite is detected during the drilling process by analysis of system software.
Design and production of an assembly system for a major aircraft component is a complex undertaking, which demands a large-scale system view. Electroimpact has completed a turnkey assembly line for producing the wing, flap, and aileron structures for the COMAC C919 aircraft in Xi’an, China. The project scope includes assembly process design, material handling design, equipment design, manufacture, installation, and first article production support. Inputs to the assembly line are individual component parts and small subassemblies. The assembly line output is a structurally completed set of wing box, flaps, and ailerons, for delivery to the Final Assembly Line in Shanghai. There is a trend toward defining an assembly line procurement contract by production capacity, versus a list of components, which implies that an equipment supplier must become an owner of production processes. The most significant challenge faced was the amount of front end engineering work required to develop detailed assembly processes and reconcile them with the customer, who remains the actual process owner. Other challenges include aircraft maturity delays, design changes due to process definition evolution, factory environmental conditions such as dust and varying temperature gradients, and cultural and communication challenges both internal and external. The result achieved by Electroimpact is an assembly line system composed of an integration of assembly tooling, special process equipment, NC machine equipment, inspection equipment, material handling and logistics equipment: Two robotic drilling cells integrated with both stationary and mobile tooling. Integrated wing major assembly cell with manual assembly jigs and large CNC wing drilling machines. Twenty-three other manual work stations. New technology developments implemented include: A new high-curvature nosepiece on the robot end effecter to enable accurate drilling and countersinking on the LE Spar D-Nose section. A new application and delivery system for single-sided temporary fasteners for wing panel drilling. Tooling design to accommodate large temperature variations.
The Inconel 718 is an alloy based on nickel of high thermal and mechanical resistance, which allows its wide application in the aerospace industry, being generally implemented in aircraft tail cone and engine components. On the other hand, these features become a recurring problem when the machining of this material is performed. For example, in the drilling process of this superalloy, the cutting tools used exhibit excessive wear due to the high temperature and pressure at the cutting edge. However, there are numerous parameters that can influence the cutting tool life, and when analyzed and well defined, determine the types of modifications needed to enable less wear, and consequently an increase of its useful life in service. Given this context and knowing that the study of tool life in the Inconel 718 drilling process is extremely relevant in the aerospace sector, this paper presents a wear study in order to evaluate the behavior of different types of cutting tools used to drill the Inconel 718. It was accomplished by the combination of different cutting parameters to perform the mechanical drilling tests on Inconel 718 sheets, using the Taguchi method as a quality tool for process investigation, and consequently the wear analysis of the cutting tools.
Items per page:
50
1 – 50 of 601